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Camera IconPERTH, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 11: Bryce Cotton of the Wildcats reacts on the bench after being defeated during the round 13 NBL match between the Perth Wildcats and the Cairns Taipans at RAC Arena on January 11, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

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Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson has called on his players to ease the burden on Bryce Cotton as they attempt to end a horror stretch of form against Adelaide at Titanium Security Arena tonight.

The Wildcats have only won two of their past nine games and were beaten by cellar dwellers Cairns last Friday night.

Tonight’s clash is the start of a tough run ahead of the play-offs, with three games against the 36ers, two opposed to Melbourne and Sydney, plus one tussle with the dangerous Illawarra.

Four-time Olympian Shane Heal said this week that Perth’s local players had to start contributing on the scoreboard instead of relying on Cotton each match.

He got no argument from Gleeson, who said the trend was alarming.

“Too often we throw the ball to him and try to let him to do some magic with the ball,” he said.

“That’s not how we’re built.

“We’re built on 11 players all putting in and all putting their hands up. We can’t just rely on Bryce or Terrico or Nick Kay.

“Those three in particular have been holding us up in the scoring. We need an even spread from our bench and our big guys to make sure we’re not just throwing the ball to Bryce and putting him under the pump.”

Gleeson promised to make changes to the way the team played after the defeat against Cairns.

He said the squad wouldn’t receive as much faith to fix its own problems on the court and promised faster mid-game changes if things went awry.

“It’ll be a much shorter leash,” Gleeson said.

“If we’re not doing right, I’ve got to push some buttons to make sure we are doing it right.

“It’s the work ethic and the up-there defensive hustle and winning the rebounds.

“If we haven’t got that work ethic, we’ve got to find five guys who have.”

The 36ers are two wins behind Perth on the ladder and this week signed former Cairns and Brisbane guard Shaun Bruce as a replacement for import Ramone Moore, who has again been laid low by a calf strain.

Adelaide are the league’s most potent offensive team and Gleeson warned the Wildcats wouldn’t be competitive tonight unless they performed with the intensity they displayed at the start of the season.

“If we don’t, we will get absolutely smashed against Adelaide,” he said.

“We’ve got to match them on the boards.

“They play a high-octane offence and if we don’t match that, we’ll get blown out of the park pretty shortly.”